1. Field
The present invention relates to wireless communication systems generally and specifically, to methods and apparatus for provisioning a mobile device in a wireless communication system using a short messaging service to establish communication to an Internet Protocol (IP) based server.
2. Background
To establish communication with a mobile device, the system first provides provisioning parameters to the mobile device. The provisioning parameters assist the mobile device in communications within and as part of the system. The provisioning parameters are typically provided by the service provider at a point of purchase, such as a cellular service center, or accessed from the service provider using circuit switching communications. Often the subscriber is instructed on a sequence of key strokes to send to the service provider; the service provider in response sends the provisioning parameters as a wireless transmission.
The initial transfer of provisioning parameters may be transmitted to the mobile device using the Wireless Application Protocol, referred to as WAP. The WAP is an application environment and set of communication protocols for wireless devices designed specifically for access to the Internet and higher telephony functions. Devices supporting WAP incur additional cost and complexity.
There is a need, therefore, for a low-cost method for providing provisioning parameters to a mobile device which do not support WAP applications or browser.